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Dannie Joe Stephens, 75, of Creston, passed away peacefully July 4, 2025, at Kavanagh House in Des Moines, surrounded by family. Celebration of Life Services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 11, at Powers Funeral Home in Creston. Pastor Mary O’Riley will officiate. Burial will be in Harmony Cemetery. Services will be livestreamed at a link under his obituary at powersfh.com. Open visitation will be 3 to 7 p.m., with family receiving friends from 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, July 10, at Powers Funeral Home in Creston.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the family for Creston Wrestling Youth and Union County 4-H Youth. Online condolences may be made at www.powerfh.com.
Dannie was born April 9, 1950, to John Ross Stephens and Ruby (Crittenden) Stephens in Creston. On July 15, 1972, he was united in marriage to Vickie Blazek at Cromwell Church. Vickie and Dannie were blessed with three sons – Shamus and twins, Shane and Shaun. Their 53-year marriage was filled with partnership, purpose and family, instilling in their children the same values of hard work, integrity and kindness that defined their lives. Dannie was a lifelong horseman, educator and coach.
Dannie attended Shannon City Community School through third grade, transferring to Creston Community Schools and graduating from Creston High School in 1968. While in high school, he lettered in wrestling all four years and qualified for the state tournament at 112 pounds in 1968.
Dannie continued both his academic and wrestling journey at Southwestern Community College and later at Northwest Missouri State University, where he earned his degree in education in 1974, commencing a long and dedicated teaching and coaching career.
Dannie began his teaching and coaching career at Bedford Community Schools in 1974 where he served as head wrestling coach, resulting in Bedford’s first 18 state qualifiers and one state champion among eight state placements. He also served as assistant high school football coach, head high school tennis coach and head high school girls track coach throughout his tenure there. A Bedford highlight was recruiting his cousin Rod Willets as assistant coach; the two enjoyed working together for several years.
He returned to Creston to teach in 1980. He started as a math teacher at Burton R. Jones Junior High School and enjoyed taking students to the Southwest Iowa Math Contest each year. He moved to the new high school and continued teaching math and coaching wrestling in several stints until he retired in 2016. During his five years as head wrestling coach in Creston, he had 12 state qualifiers including two state champions. One of his best head coaching memories was having two of his wrestlers named co-valedictorians in 1983. Throughout the years working as a middle school assistant coach and with the Panther Express wrestling team, he helped many young wrestlers start from a firm foundation and develop their skills.
Dannie was a fixture in the Union County 4-H program since showing sheep, cattle and horses at the Union County Fair as a youth in the 1960s. He later shared his passion for horses, helping young enthusiasts learn and growing the 4-H equine program on the local, regional and state levels. He spent 35 years serving the 4-H program in Union County at various positions, including as a 4-H leader of the Horse and Riders Club, as the horse superintendent and horse committee member at the Union County Fair and as a fair board member, leading as board president when it was time to replace buildings and modernize the livestock facilities.
Horses were his passion from a young age, both riding and driving. Growing up, he was a member of the Union County Saddle Club and Horse & Riders 4-H Club and as an adult served in leadership positions for both. Many of the horses he trained went on to become trusted mounts for three generations of riders. In addition to local horse shows and trail rides, in later years he enjoyed taking trail riding vacations with a group of like-minded friends and family to destinations across the U.S.
He also continued the family tradition as an avid cribbage player and champion napper, taught from a young age by his Grandpa Crittenden and passed on to his children and grandchildren. He especially enjoyed attending all the activities of Colten, Grace and Ross. He is fondly remembered by his nephews and nieces as he enjoyed being kept in the know of all their activities.
Whether in the classroom, wrestling room or arena, Dannie was always coaching, influencing countless students, athletes and 4-H youth to keep learning and improving. For his numerous contributions, he was inducted into three halls of fame – Creston High School Hall of Fame in 2016, Creston Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2021 and the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame in 2024.
Dannie is survived by sons, Shamus Stephens (Jen) of Pleasantville, Shane Stephens and Shaun Stephens, both of Creston and three grandchildren: Colten (Hannah) Stephens of Maryville, Missouri, Grace Stephens of Pleasantville and John Ross Stephens of Pleasantville. Other survivors include his mother Ruby Stephens of Shannon City; brother Reggie Stephens of Creston; sisters, Kathie Bryant (Gene Dwyer) of New Orleans, Lousiana, Dixie Stephens (Kim Grytdahl) of Las Vegas, Nevada, Shellie Billings (Steve) of Dallas Center and Julie DeYoung (Bob) of Baldwin City, Kansas; brother-in-law Steven (Tammy) Blazek of Adel; two sisters-in-law, Linda (Steve) Marley of Creston and Barb (Dave) Murtha of West Des Moines; numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Vickie, father John Stephens, nephew Beau Marley and parents-in-law, Clifford and Beth Blazek.